School names Bobrowskas director of college counseling

One of the many endorsements garnered by Joe Bobrowskas during his visits to the Holderness School this spring comes from a student who won't be around to benefit from Bobrowskas's services next year.

"He worked at Exeter before and talked about instances where he took his advisees to dinner and did other fun things with them, which is similar to experiences I have had at Holderness," says Ben Osborne, a senior from Burlington, Vt. "He really loved the school, and that's important for success in the Holderness community. He also claimed to be 'geeky' about college counseling, and I think that's a good thing for the college counseling department."

Bobrowskas will be director of college counseling for Holderness beginning July 1, and Head of School Phil Peck is as happy as Ben Osborne to have a 'college counseling geek' on campus. Bobrowskas will also be the school's first full-time college counselor.

"He brings a unique background in high-level college admissions work, as well as independent school work," said Peck. "We're pleased to have somebody as professional and caring as Joe, who is especially excited to be engaged in a residential boarding school."

And especially a New England school, adds Bobrowskas, who himself grew up in Vero Beach, Fla. He went to Alabama's Troy University as a communications major, but an internship he undertook in Troy's admissions office suggested a different sort of career. "I was a glorified tour guide," he says, "but I visited high schools and talked with visiting groups, and I was amazed at how much fun it was."

That internship was followed by seven years as an admissions counselor at Augusta State University in Georgia, and then six years as Associate Director of Undergraduate Admissions for Vanderbilt University in Tennessee.

In 2003 Bobrowskas jumped to the other side of the admissions fence — and moved to New England — for a position as Associate Director of College Counseling at Phillips Exeter Academy. He was also a dorm resident, a student advisor, and a member of the faculty group in charge of the school's reaccreditation process.

"I grew very familiar with New England at Vanderbilt," says Bobrowskas, "because I traveled frequently to Maine, New Hampshire and Vermont as part of my territory there. And for years I've done a New Year's hike in the White Mountains with friends. I'm at the point where I feel like New England is home."

Bobrowskas holds a Master's in Education from Augusta State, and is currently finishing his work on a Master of Arts in Liberal Studies at Dartmouth. He says he relishes working in a boarding-school setting for its opportunities to make connections with students outside the classroom.

"That's important, because the College Counseling Office plays a significant role in supporting the mission of a school, contributing to a student's development and growth," he says. "In proper perspective, the college search is a process of reflection and self-discovery for students as well as parents. And I find it immensely rewarding to see students learn as much about themselves through the college process as the schools to which they apply."

Previous college counselors at Holderness have had to balance that task with classroom teaching assignments. Several former counselors remain on the faculty. Current counselor Margot Moses is leaving to attend school herself next year, but says she is "excited about Joe's potential to move the college counseling office forward. I'm confident he'll do the job very well."

Meanwhile Bobrowskas appreciates a faculty who in some cases are so well versed in admissions procedures. "That will help," he says, "in enhancing a culture in which college admissions is seen as an educational process in and of itself."

Holderness trustee and parent Dick Nesbitt, who is himself Director of Admissions at Williams College, adds his own endorsement. "Joe brings extensive experience and talent to this office," he says. "He is going to hit the ground running and prove a valuable asset to Holderness."

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